Pure Heroine
by emele807
Summary: After spending thirty very long days talking about her feelings to a group of people, Diana Whittemore is finally free. Except a lot can change in thirty days. People, relationships, and Diana finds herself thrown into a world she barely knows. Beacon Hills may be able to handle Diana Whittemore, but can Diana handle the oh-so-innocent looking town that holds some dark secrets?
1. Chapter 1

Around seven in the morning, I heard the unmistakable click of the doors being unlocked. I opened my eyes and stared at the plain ceiling. Then a smile broke out across my face, today was the day. I was getting out of here. Thirty days, seven hundred and twenty hours, forty three thousand and two hundred minutes later. I was free. Finally.

I couldn't contain my grin as I threw the covers off of myself. I felt like there should have been a soundtrack playing. Like a peppy musical score to accompany me as I moved around the room. But still, I swung my hips to a silent rhythm, too excited to care who saw me dancing around in my shirt and sweats. I was getting the fuck out of here. It was my time, according the calendar I had tacked on the wall with little check marks on it. And I would never see these people again.

But first, I had to get through my last day things. I packed my bag, with what little things I had, and shoved it under my bed. I grabbed my towel, looking at the lump of blankets that was my roommate's sleeping form. I quietly exited the room, making my way to the showers. I quickly showered, using the boys' bathroom because the water was warmer. I figured that out on my fourth day. I traced the scars on my wrists with my nails as the water ran down my skin. After I was finished showering, I padded back to my room, grin still plastered on my face.

My roommate wasn't in the room when I got back. I screwed my mouth to the side, looking around for her. Eh, it didn't matter. I would have to come back anyway to get my things. And besides, she was probably at breakfast because there wasn't really any other place she could be.

I pulled on a new pair of sweats and a navy blue tee. I had been given a variety of colors for my tees, but only different shades of gray for the sweats. I wouldn't miss that. I let my hair dry naturally as I walked out of my room, a bounce to my step.

The day was bright and clear as I walked outside to get to the dining hall. I would be able to leave around noon, which I was grateful. I pushed the double doors open and stepped into the dining hall, breathing in deep. Then I let it out, a genuine smile on my face. I made my way over to the breakfast line, listening to the chatter of the other residents as I got my last meal. If there was one thing that I was actually going to miss, it would be the food. It was actually good, which surprised me, but I mean, food makes everyone a bit happier so I guess it works out for everyone. I took a plate of eggs, some scrapple and two pieces of rye toast before balancing a glass of apple juice on the tray. Turning away from the food selection, I spotted the only kid I could tolerate sitting by himself and there was an empty chair across from him. I smiled to myself as I weaved through the tables.

"Oliver." I said as I sat down. Oliver looked up at me, playing with his fingers.

"Oh, hi—hi, Diana." He nervously said. His gaze flicked from me to his breakfast then back to me. I noticed the bright red marks on his wrists. I shifted in my seat as I picked up my fork.

"Another night spent in the restraints?" I asked as I stabbed at my eggs.

"Y—Yeah." I nodded as I chewed. "Y—You're leaving today, are—aren't you?"

"Yep!" I said, a grin appearing, "Gonna get out of this _nut_ house." I said, stabbing at my eggs again. Oliver was quiet. I looked over to him to see him tangling his fingers up again as he stared at his breakfast. I slowly chewed on my food, watching him.

"I'm glad I met you, Oliver." I thoughtfully said. His head flicked up, eyes wide, eyebrows raised.

"Y—You are?"

"Yeah, you know, cause you're like the only one here who doesn't think he's Jesus." I said, waving my fork around in the air. Oliver gave me a hint of an embarrassed smile. I gave him a small smile in return as I went back to eating my breakfast.

"Meredith was talking about how they-can do electroshock on you." Oliver said. I looked up at him.

"I thought we came to the conclusion that Meredith was really weird. You're a little weird, and she's a lot weird." I said, staring at him. Oliver looked down at his hands.

"Do you really think they would shock me?" Oliver asked.

"What? No." I scoffed out, "Oliver, they can't hurt you. They can drug you, apparently, but they can't hurt you. It's unethical." I said, motioning with my fork.

"You sure?" Oliver quietly asked.

"Oliver, the worst that's going to happen to you is that you're going to get the five point restraint again." I said, giving him a look. "Now, eat, come on." I urged him. Oliver screwed his mouth to the side, but complied, picking up his fork.

"Have you seen Jenny?" I asked once Oliver started eating. Oliver shook his head as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"Nope." He said around a mouthful of eggs. I furrowed my brow and pushed my lips out, resting my chin on top of my hands.

"I wonder where she is." I said, mostly to myself.

After breakfast, Oliver and I went to my last group therapy session. We sat in a circle in the middle of a spacious room. Everything bounced off the walls in the room. Actually, everything bounced off the walls in _every _room. That's why the residents nicknamed it the Echo House.

Its real name was the Eichen House. Home for the crazies. I wasn't crazy. I was depressed. And to numb the pain, I took drugs. Or at least I did. Until I overdosed one night at Lydia Martin's start of school year party and blacked out. I was rushed to the hospital, had my stomach pumped and then was shipped off to the Eichen House because I was mentally unstable. My last thirty days had been therapy and detoxification.

I was a disappointment to my parents. Originally, I was the light of their world, hence the name _Diana, _but after the whole drug overdose stint, I faded from their trophy case. They didn't visit me. Actually, only my brother visited me for family day. And he had to leave halfway through to get to lacrosse practice. My parents hated me. I disgraced the Whittemore name which was _tragic_ because I actually _was_ a Whittemore. My brother, Jackson, wasn't my real brother. Technically. I mean, he was adopted. What happened was my parents didn't think they could have kids so they started to look for adoption agencies. And when they started the process of adopting Jackson, Mom became pregnant with me. She didn't know until the papers were signed and Jackson was in his crib. A few months later, I came along. Our parents told us at age ten that Jackson was adopted. You couldn't tell though. And people still thought Jackson and I shared DNA, even seven years later.

There _were_ crazy people at the house. People who freaked me the fuck out. I didn't go near those people. I mainly stuck with Oliver and sometimes my roommate, Jenny. But that was it. I didn't feel the need to get to close to any of the others. I wasn't like them. I wasn't crazy. I was just sad. All the time.

But I had been getting better. A lot better. I was actually proud of myself for being able to get rid of the bad in my life and realize the good. It took a lot of work, and at first I was really stubborn about the whole ordeal, but once I started to see the impact therapy had on me, the impact that talking about my fears and emotions, I had started to become myself again. The one before the drugs. The one I enjoyed being.

I sat on my chair next to Oliver, legs crossed Indian styles, and picked at one of my nails. The first thing I needed to do when I got home was get myself a manicure. I mean, seriously, my nails were so cracked and dirty, it was disgusting.

"So today, we have someone leaving us." I heard Morrell say. I glanced up to see her staring at me. I looked around to see everyone else staring at me as well. I gave a smile and a slight wave.

"Diana, is there anything you want to say?" Morrell asked, leaning forward as she crossed her legs. I shifted my weight and swallowed.

"Uh, no, I think I'm good." I said, shaking my head. Morrell nodded at me.

"Well, we all wish you luck." Morrell said, gesturing to the group. I looked around at the blank stares from the other residents.

"I can tell." I mumbled under my breath. Morrell closed up the group therapy session, which I completely missed since I was too busy examining my nails. I stayed seated while everyone got up. I knew Morrell would want to talk to me before I left.

"A—Are you coming?" Oliver asked.

"I'll catch up with you." I said, looking up to smile at him. "Don't worry. I'll say goodbye, promise." Oliver nodded, twisting his fingers around themselves. Then he awkwardly turned away, walking with the rest of the group towards whatever activity was planned during free time. I looked back to Morrell, who stood up. I followed suit and let her lead me to her office.

"Do you feel ready to go back?" Morrell asked as I shut the door behind myself.

"Completely." I nodded, "I am one hundred percent ready."

"Good." Morrell simply said, "You've made a lot of progress while you were here, Diana."

"I know." I automatically responded. Morrell smiled at me.

"I hope you would like to continue our sessions once you go back to Beacon Hills High."

"Of course." I nodded again, "Yes, totally."

"Everything is set up for you at the front desk." Morrell paused, "Are you sure no one is going to come to pick you up?"

"Positive." I nodded once. Morrell gave me a look before nodding.

"Then I'll see you again tomorrow before school." Morrell simply said. I swallowed and gave her a small smile.

"Can't wait." I whispered. Morrell gave me another smile.

"Be careful out there, Diana. Things have changed."

I moved my head around in a circle, "You're not gonna like, tell me what's going on?" I asked. Morrell gave me a cool smile. "Great. Awesome." I bobbed my head, tapping my fists together.

With that ominous sounding message in mind, I took a step back from Morrell, turning and walking out of her office. I padded down the hall, looking over my shoulder for a moment before I took off running. I ran. I _sprinted_ towards my room. I flew inside and grabbed my bag from under my bed. I yanked off my shirt and shoved my sweats down, kicking them into the corner of the room. I pulled on the clothes that I had been wearing when I was admitted. It was just a different tee and a pair of leggings, but my jacket, I had missed my jacket. It was a worn in army green crop jacket. I pressed it to my face, inhaling my perfume. I had missed that smell. I shrugged it on and shoved my feet into the slippers for the last time. I tied my hair up into a bun and grabbed my duffel.

I paused when I got to the door, noticing that Jenny still wasn't in our room. I screwed my mouth to the side. Then I sighed. Her loss. I wrenched open the door and speed walked down the hall, towards the staircase. People were milling around, not talking to each other, maybe talking _to_ themselves. I ran my hand along the banister and glanced up.

"Oh no no no _no_." I whispered out, dropping my bag as I saw what was happening. "No, no, no!" I cried out, "No, Jenny, don't!" I sprinted up the stairs. I tripped a few times because the slippers didn't really have good traction on them. "Jenny, stop!"

"You're leaving me." She said, voice trembling.

"No, Jenny, no." I continued to say as I took the stairs two at a time, "Someone help!" I cried out, "Someone get Brunski for God's sake!"

Jenny was precariously perched on the edge of the banister. Her arms were outstretched, grabbing on the railing on either side of her to help her balance for the time being. She tipped her head to the ceiling. "Jenny, don't. Okay, please don't." I pleaded as I got closer to her.

"Don't leave then." She simply said. I paused, rolling my lips in. Then I looked around myself, slowly climbing the stairs.

"Do you remember, when I first came here, you were so nice to me." I started as I kept walking, "You told me everything would be okay, and then you gave me half of your sandwich. You talked to me, Jenny. You made sure I had my pillow, my blanket, you made sure I took my meds." As I talked, I got closer and closer to Jenny. "You helped me get better, Jenny." I whispered, only a few feet away from her. Jenny was silently crying as she stared at me.

"Don't do it, Jenny, please." I whispered.

"Say you won't leave." Jenny blinked the tears out of her eyes.

"I can't." I softly said, "I—I have to go. It's my time to go."

Jenny stared at me for a moment. "Same here." She whispered out. And then she tipped her weight forward, letting go of the railings and allowing herself to fall.

"NO!" I shouted, reaching out for her as split second too late.

I felt her tee graze my fingertips as she fell down. I stared in horror as her body hit against the banisters. And then my hand clapped over my mouth as the sound of her body hitting the floor echoed up to me. I fell back on my foot, walking backwards, shaking my head. I was shaking in general, but I refused to cry. I felt someone's arms around me and I flinched away from them.

"Don't touch me." I hissed out as Brunski stared at me. He gave me a smirk.

"Nothing says goodbye quite like your roommate committing suicide, does it?" He asked. I narrowed my eyes at him before shoving by him. I stomped down the stairs, pushing through the crowd of residents to get to my duffel. I saw Oliver standing by the back of the crowd, picking at his fingers. I picked up my bag and stared at him. Sighing, I walked through the crowd, getting to Oliver.

"Try not to get restrained tonight." I softly said, "And don't worry, they won't shock you or do anything like that, okay?" I asked. Oliver nodded, still playing with his fingers. "Don't listen to Meredith." I reminded him. Oliver nodded again.

"I'll miss you." He quietly said. I rubbed his arm.

"I know." I said, giving him a small smile. Oliver looked up at me. "Don't go too crazy without me." I joked, getting a ghost of a smile from Oliver.

I gave him a small smile as I fell back on my heel. I walked backwards before spinning around and hurrying down the rest of the stairs. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath as I came to the ground floor. I walked around Jenny's body, not wanting to look at her.

The nurse at the front desk gave me a sad smile as I took my things that I had left with her after I was admitted. I placed my phone in my jacket pocket and took my Vans back, trading in the slippers. I slipped my feet in the bright blue shoes, curling my toes at the feeling of real shoes. She handed over a clipboard with a couple of papers on it. I signed myself out, Morrell had told them that my parents weren't coming anytime soon. I gave the clipboard back and the nurse gave me the pills Morrell had suggested I take with me, just in case.

"Have a good day, Diana." She sadly said as I took the pills.

"Thanks." I said, nodding once. I placed the pills in my duffel and zipped it back up. I hiked up my bag and glanced over my shoulder to see the orderlies cleaning up Jenny's body. I looked away, walking forward.

I pushed through the glass double doors, hearing the birds chirping and the wind whistling. I saw people milling around on the porch. I hurried down the front steps, getting to the gate. I paused at the front gate, looking up at the very top. When I first came, the gates seemed so ominous, like they were keeping me in. And soon, the gates were going to be keeping me out. I couldn't be happier.

I shook my shoulders, shaking off Jenny's fall and focusing on the good. I spun around, looking at the house. I threw my middle finger up and made a face. I was never coming back here again. I had no reason to and I wouldn't have a reason, I'd make sure of that. Then I pulled the gate open, stepping outside of the gates for the first time in a month. The gate shut behind me, clicking shut and locking me out. I pulled my sunglasses from my jacket pocket and slipped them on my face, letting them cover my eyes. I shifted my weight onto my foot, popping my hip out as I stared at the world in front of me. I felt a little smirk tug at the corner of my lips. Diana Whittemore was back.


	2. Chapter 2

"Princess Di, I'm leaving in twenty!" Jackson said, using one of his stupid nicknames for me as he flung open my door. I felt a small smile peek out, but I pulled my covers closer to my chin, hiding it.

"No!" I shouted back, keeping my eyes closed.

"First day of school, let's go." He sang out as he threw the covers off of me. I instinctively curled up into a ball. I laid there for a moment before smiling to myself.

"I'll be at the Porsche in fifteen." I said as I rolled over onto my back.

I heard the door shut. Then I slowly blinked my eyes open, staring at my ceiling. _My _ceiling. Not the bland one at the Echo house. I was in my room. I rolled over, looking at the other wall, smiling at the window with the sunlight streaming in through the blinds. I pushed up on my elbows, looking around my room. I had missed my queen sized bed.

I had gotten back around one yesterday afternoon. I walked home, enjoying the breeze of the day. I loved it. When I got to my house, I looked across the street to see the Lahey's house boarded up, police tape all around it. I had stared at it for a moment, trying to understand what had happened. Then I realized that someone must have finally told the cops about Mr. Lahey's abusiveness towards Isaac. I screwed my mouth to the side and hoped that Isaac was okay.

Once inside my house, I was glad to see that nothing had changed. The parents weren't home, usual. And Jackson was in his room, probably masturbating or having sex with Lydia. Typical. I had dropped my bag by the stairs and gone into the kitchen, looking at the newspaper. God, I hadn't even seen a newspaper. I looked at the front headline that blared something about how the police were still searching for the murderer who took Mr. Lahey's life along with some random guy. It said that Isaac was suspected of killing his father, but no one had seen him. He was a fugitive. Weird.

Jackson had come down after he was done with whatever he was doing. He said hi to me and then started talking like I had never left. It was nice. I was okay with it; I didn't want to be treated different because I wasn't different. I was still Diana Whittemore. Except a better, prettier version of myself. We talked lacrosse, the house, what was going on at school. He informed me about how he and Lydia broke up, how she was attacked by a mountain lion and ran around the woods, naked, for two days. It seemed like I had picked the perfect time to come back.

While he caught me up to date, I ordered Chinese takeout and had it delivered. We ate and talked even more. I hadn't realized how much I missed Jackson. I didn't miss my parents though. If I could call them parents. Jackson didn't love our parents. I knew that. He tolerated them and used to resent me. He actually hated me for a while. Up until we were thirteen at least. He despised me because I was _actually_ our parents' child. But then he grew up. Matured. Still hated the parentals, but started to tolerate me. Toleration became trust and then respect until eventually it was love. Or at least a version of love.

Jackson didn't show his love in the typical brother/sister relationship. Ignored me at school, barely talked to me at home, actually, the conversation I had with him after I came home was the most we had ever talked. But we had our moments. Like at Lydia's party. He was with me the entire time. Carried me down the stairs and stayed with me in the ambulance. At least that's what Lydia told me.

Lydia. I had no idea if we were still friends. Ever since the incident, she'd been radio silent. One letter that told me what Jackson did with a _Get Well Soon_ closing. And that was it. Yet, now I learned that she was actually going crazy. I debated calling her after dinner, but decided against it, knowing I would see her at school.

I opened my closet and pulled out options, knowing I had little time to worry about my outfit. I grabbed a pair of baggy overalls that I paired with black tights and an oversized purple t-shirt. I grabbed my yellow and brown flannel, throwing it over the overalls and shirt. I shoved my feet into a pair of yellow combat boots and ran a brush through my hair. I swallowed down the pills before brushing my teeth and running down the stairs.

My parents were nowhere to be found. Typical. So I grabbed my bag and hurried out to Jackson's Porsche.

"Ugh, I'm so ready to get my baby back." I groaned, resting my head back. Jackson smirked at me.

"Yeah, well one more day without driving your piece of crap Taurus won't kill you." Jackson quipped. I glared at him.

"He is my baby. " I said, dipping my chin to my chest as Jackson drove, "And he has a name."

"Yeah, well, _Walter _is a piece of crap." Jackson said. I stuck my tongue out at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

Walter was my Ford Taurus. I had found him at a used car lot one day in the summer when Jackson and I were walking around. I fell in love with him and I begged my parents to buy it. They were concerned and asked if I wanted a better car, something more stylish, but I wanted Walter. And my parents thought that if they bought me what I wanted, that I would love them. I didn't. But I appreciated the gesture.

"You ready for this?" Jackson asked, glancing at me. I shrugged as we pulled up to the school.

"Yeah, I guess." I shoved a hand through my hair.

"I have lacrosse practice after school, so if you just want to wait, I can drop you off at the mechanics afterwards." Jackson offered.

"Perfect." I replied as I pushed out of the car, "Later."

"Bye." Jackson said as I slung my bag around my shoulder and looked at my phone. I had five minutes till my meeting with Morrell.

I had a plan; lay low. I didn't feel the need to be Miss Popular anymore. It got me in more trouble than I was expecting. But I did feel the incredible urge to throw-up as I stood in front of Beacon Hills High. I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. With everything I'd been through over the past month, high school should be the least of my worries. When I reopened my eyes, I hurried up the front steps. I kept my head down, totally eager to fly under the radar for the rest of the year.

I was coming in right before spring break. Not my best move, but I moved on from it. I had already missed so much and I couldn't afford to miss anymore. So I charmed my way into getting into my classes, using the pity card, and Morrell. Plus, being a Whittemore didn't hurt. I secured a spot in my sophomore class and was told to report to school on Wednesday. I was following the rules already, a new thing for me.

The chattering of people welcomed me into the high school halls as I stepped through one of the double doors. And then it stopped. I looked up from my schedule, surprised to see everyone staring at me. I made a face and looked over my shoulder, wondering if there was someone behind me. Nope. They were staring at me. I looked back to the masses and blew out a breath.

"Did I forget to put on pants or something?" I called out, extending my arms out, "I mean, seriously." That snapped everyone to attention. I sighed as I took a step forward. Everyone parted like the Red Sea. I shook my head as I walked through, letting people stare at me. So much for flying under the radar.

"God." I whispered out as everyone resumed their Wednesday morning before homeroom activities. I shook my head and found my locker, the same one from last time. I spun the lock and popped it off, opening it up. I stared at the empty space before swinging my bag around and unzipping it. I shoved my books into it as the bell rang.

It was weird. I was back at school. Surrounded by people I had grown up with. I spotted Sadie talking to Ryan by her locker, the two of them laughing before, the not so new girl, Allison Argent came up to them. Then I saw Carrie, Maxi and Maggie walking down the hall together, all smiles. Life had gone on while I was away. I had to blend back in, get back into the swing of things. I closed my locker door shut and walked down to Morrell's office, keeping my head up the entire time, ignoring the stares. Morell was waiting for me when I got there and I slipped into her office.

"So how do you feel?" Morell asked as I crossed my legs. She had already covered the basics of how my night was and how I was dealing with Jenny's death, all that fun stuff, so we were circling back to me.

"Perfect." I quipped, hand on my knee.

"That's good to hear, Diana." She paused, "How's your brother dealing with it?"

"Fine. We talk." I simply said.

"Well, I'm glad you're strengthening your relationship." Morell gave me a smile. I returned it. "It's good you're back, Diana."

"It's good to be back." I fed her the words she wanted to hear. And she smiled in return. I paused for a moment.

"Is Lydia okay?" I asked, "I mean, Jackson was telling me what happened. That she was attacked and all…" I trailed off.

"She needs her friends, Diana." Morell simply said. I nodded and gave her a small smile.

"I'll try my best."

"I know you will." Morell ended the conversation. I pushed out of my chair and walked out of the office. I stopped, though, when I saw Lydia primly sitting there. She glanced up at me, her eyes travelling up and down my outfit before she pursed her lips.

"Diana." She chirped out.

"Hey, Lydia." I said, hands on my bag straps.

"Should've known I'd see you here." Lydia huffed, standing up.

"It's a surprise to see you here." I swayed back as Lydia picked up her bag.

"Well, I won't be for much longer." Lydia shot back. I raised my eyebrows and pushed out my bottom lip, nodding.

"Glad to see you haven't changed." I said as she brushed past me. I stood there for a moment, staring at the empty space that the strawberry-blonde was just occupying. Then I blinked, shaking my head and walking out of the office. I merged with the other students and made my way down the hall, hearing the whispers.

_She's back._

_Diana Whittemore is back._

_It was just some way for her to get attention._

_Like she didn't have enough already?_

_God, she should've just stayed in the crazy house._

_She looks anorexic. _

I paused in the middle of the hallway and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath in and then slowly let it out. I shook out my hand and took another step as the whispers continued, I tried to ignore them. I reopened my eyes to see Matt Daheler staring at me. He gave me a small smile, taking a step towards me. I widened my eyes and turned away, hurrying down the hall.

Matt Daheler was actually crazy. He was obsessed with me all throughout freshman year. At first, I had thought it was just some crush. It wasn't unusual. I was okay with it, until he started basically stalking me. I had to get a restraining order put on him because I saw him outside of my house, taking pictures of me in my room. From there, he had to stay at least fifty feet away from me and he wasn't allowed to talk to me. But after I was shipped to the Eichen House, the restraining order fell through. I shivered at the thought of him being able to be close to me again.

I walked down the hall, turning the corner and going down the stairs before hearing a, "Princess Di!" I couldn't hide the grin that was spreading across my face as I spotted my best friend weaving through the crowd of students. I shoved past some freshman and met him halfway, throwing my arms around his neck.

"Danny!" I crooned as he tightly squeezed me. Danny laughed and stepped back after a minute.

"Holy shit, who _are _you?" He asked, eyes traveling up and down. I laughed and waved my hand in the air.

"You got rid of all the dark makeup and ripped up clothes!" Danny grinned at me. "I mean, kinda." Danny's gaze traveled down to take in my outfit. I rolled my eyes. "I like this Diana a lot more." Danny said, nodding at me.

"Good, cause she's staying." I quipped. Danny gave me a proud smile before hugging me again.

"So glad you're back." He murmured as he stepped back. I saw his eyes flick down to my wrists, looking for any new scars. I gave him a small smile.

"Me too." I nodded as we turned, walking down the hall.

"Did you hear about Lydia?" He asked, trying to make conversation. I nodded and hiked my bag up onto my shoulder.

"Yeah, what the hell happened?"

"An animal attack of some sort." Danny shrugged, "Jackson found her on the lacrosse field all bloody and torn."

"And then she just disappeared from the hospital."

"Yup." Danny nodded, "Completely naked." I made a face.

"Well, I came back at the right time." I gave him a wry grin. Danny smiled at me.

"Come on, what class do you have?" He asked. I handed him my schedule.

"Chem, sweet." He nodded to himself as we walked down the hall.

With Danny around, it was easier to ignore the whispers. I had known Danny since third grade. Jackson was best friends with him, but I considering myself Danny's actual best friend. He was so nice, and funny, and completely and utterly gay. I had found out when I got stuck with him in Seven Minutes of Heaven during eighth grade. We were sitting on my bed and then he blurted out that he didn't find the idea of kissing me appealing. I was horrified at first, I mean, I was thirteen. I had enough self-esteem issues as it was. But then Danny hurriedly went on to explain that he thought I was beautiful, but he was attracted to guys. I spent the next six minutes talking to him about it and then he kissed my cheek and thanked me.

There were going to be classes that I didn't have with Danny. When those came about, I went through them on auto-pilot. It was only in Econ, that I saw Jackson again. He was sitting on the other side of the room, away from Lydia. Finstock nodded at me as I entered the room as the second bell rang. I looked around to see there were no seats near Jackson, and none near Lydia. I screwed my mouth to the side, looking for a place to sit.

"Any day now, Ms. Whittemore." Finstock dryly said. I sighed and fell into the first empty seat I saw.

Finstock started his lesson as I pulled out my notebook. My pen rolled off my desk onto the side where there wasn't enough room for me to reach down. I inwardly groaned as I tipped myself forward, reaching out for the pen. Then I saw someone's long fingers snatch it away from me. I looked up, a grin breaking out on my face.

"Stiles!" I stage whispered as Stiles stared at me. "Hey!" Stiles flushed and he let out an awkward cough.

"H—Here." He stuttered out, holding out the pen. I noticed his hands were shaking.

"Didn't take your daily Adderall today, did you?" I asked, making a face as I plucked the pen from his hand. Stiles visibly swallowed as his eyes went wide, "Or are you nervous?" I asked, sitting back in my seat.

"Nervous?" Stiles squeaked out, then he coughed, "Why—why would I be nervous?"

"Cause you're willingly talking to me." I said, tapping my pen on my chin.

"That's jus—jus cause you dropped your pen."

"Sure." I said, pursing my lips in a wry smile, "Thanks." I quickly raising my eyebrows at him as I faced front again. Stiles shifted in his seat as he let out another cough. I saw his eyes dart down to my wrists, just like Danny did earlier in the morning. I smiled to myself as Finstock continued to talk.

Stiles Stilinski and I were lab partners in Biology last year. Basically, he was the only reason I got an A in that class. Every time we had an experiment to work on, he would be all nervous and flustered, even as the year continued. I didn't blame the kid and it was fun to watch him get worked up around me. And it looked like things hadn't changed.

When the bell rang, I walked out with everyone else, putting my books in my bag, keeping my head down. Then I ran into someone. "Oh, crap." I bounced back.

"Watch it!" I heard someone snap out.

"Excuse _me?_" I asked, looking up at the girl.

"You heard me." I stared at the girl in the tight leather everything. I cocked my head to the side, taking in the blonde curls and red lips, heavy eyeliner. Then my eyes narrowed.

"Erica Reyes." I figured. She gave me a wry smile.

"Surprised you even remember my name."

"How can I forget? You pissed yourself when you started having a seizure." I paused, "I think the video's on YouTube somewhere." I screwed my mouth to the side.

"You should know." Erica snapped back.

"Right, yeah, cause I took it." I laughed. Erica let out a low growl.

"Oooo so scary." I put up my hands, "Well, I'm glad someone taught you how to use makeup and a curling iron." I said, giving her a side smile.

"Jealous?" Erica asked, stepping closer to me.

"You wish." I said, pursing my lips and stepping even closer, "Just an FYI, the Harley Davidson show doesn't come in till June, so you might want to lay off the leather." I whispered out, scrunching up my features. Erica let out another growl.

"You might want to cut out the growling too." I nodded, "You sound like a dog."

Erica slammed me back into the wall, gripping my wrists tight. I stared at her, urging her to do something to me. I cocked an eyebrow as she leaned closer to me.

"All right, hey, hey!" I heard someone say and then Erica was pushed off of me as Stiles came in between us, "Let's keep the violence at a no."

"She ran into me." Erica growled out. I sighed.

"Yes, Erica, I purposely _ran _into you." I massaged my temples, "I woke up this morning and was like,_ I feel like running into Erica Reyes as I come out of Econ._" Erica narrowed her eyes at me before taking another step forward.

"Okay, hey, no, stop." Stiles stepped in between us again. "Diana, you come with me." He gripped my wrist.

"No." I said, pulling back away from him. Stiles looked at me, "Erica'll go with you." I said, stepping back. I looked at the girl. She snarled at me again. I took a step closer and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Maybe if you stop growling like a fucking _dog, _he'll pay attention to you." I knew she knew I was referring to her crush on Stiles. Everyone knew she had a crush on Stiles, except for Stiles. I stepped back and brushed by her, walking down the opposite way.

"Diana, wait!" I heard Stiles call after me. I kept walking as he caught up with me.

"What happened to Erica?" I asked.

"Uh, Lydia taught her how to wear makeup and stuff I guess." Stiles flubbed. I looked at him.

"Really? _Lydia?_" I asked, stopping in the middle of the hall, "Lydia, the girl who said Erica was _the human vibrator_, gave Erica a makeover." I stated.

"Uh, yeah?" Stiles sounded unsure. I laughed at him as I shook my head.

"Nice try, Stiles." I started walking away from him, leaving him in the middle of the hall as I walked down to the cafeteria.

The initial shock of my return seemed to have worn off a bit; there were a lot less stares and such as I walked towards the menacing double doors. I kept one hand on my bag as I got closer and closer. This was going to be the worst part of my day, I could already tell. Danny and I didn't have the same lunch. Actually, I had no idea, who had lunch with me.

Sighing, I started for the double doors, just as Stiles and Scott burst out. I skittered back as the two of them almost knocked into me.

"Jesus." I gasped out, hand on my chest. The boys stopped and stared at me.

"Diana? What are you doing here?" Scott asked. I squinted my eyes at him.

"I…go to school…here." I slowly said.

"No, right, but when did you get back from –"

"The crazy house?" I finished him.

"Rehab." He softly said. I raised my eyebrows at him and glanced at Stiles.

"Funny. That's the first time I've heard that word." I crossed my arms over my chest. Stiles licked his lips and stomped his foot.

"Dude…" He started. Scott continued to look at me. I stepped to the side, making a sweeping gesture with my hands.

"By all means, continue with your post lunch sprint." I said, arms outstretched. The boys shared a look before taking off.

"Good to see you, Diana!" Scott yelled back over his shoulder. I laughed at them, shaking my head as I watched them disappear around the corner. Then I turned to look at the cafeteria doors.

"Yeah, fuck this." I said, shaking my head as I turned away. I started away from the cafeteria, hurrying down the hall. I wasn't going to be subjected to the cafeteria dance. Nope. I wasn't. So instead, I went into the auditorium and into the girl's dressing room. I climbed up on a chair and pushed off the loose ceiling frame. I pulled myself up into the ceiling.

I looked around the room, smiling to myself. It was right above the girl's dressing room, completely secluded and alone. I fell onto one of the armchairs, letting my bag fall from my fingers. The secret room was completely furnished, something that some seniors did before I was born. Whatever. It was my secret hiding spot.

School wasn't really as bad as I thought it was going to be. I mean, yeah, gotta love those bitchy encounters, but I was used to that. I knew how to handle those. And the new Diana wasn't going to go get high after it, no, she was going to read her book for English. She was going to get caught up on her work and show the school that she wasn't just a dumb blonde. Take that.

Freshman year sucked for me. I should have failed almost every class, besides Biology, but Dad paid some sum of money and got it so I was at least passing. It wasn't good. I went out almost every night, finding stupid things to do and be the reckless one. And then it started to get bad, I started to become depressed and sad all the time, even after school let out. I would be with Lydia, Jackson and Danny and feel completely alone. I hated it. I hated that Lydia got more attention than me from Jackson. I was his _sister. _I should've come first in his life.

I got so fed up with it and I couldn't deal with it anymore. And then Lydia's back to school party rolled around. I had already met Allison and could see that Lydia was all about her. Apparently, I was easily replaceable. I snapped, I was already drunk on straight vodka since I had an entire bottle to myself as Lydia danced with Jackson and Allison was with Scott. Danny was with his boyfriend and I realized how alone I was. I broke down, going up to the guest room to nurse the rest of the bottle and then cry myself to sleep. And then I figured, why not just sleep forever? So I went into the bathroom where there was a selection of pills for my taking. I grabbed a whole bunch and dry swallowed them, gagging as they went down, but forcing myself to keep them inside of me. I knew it was going to be a slow process with just the pills, so I grabbed the shaver that was resting on the shelf of the cabinet.

My blood stained my skin as I dragged the razor across my wrist in little lines. It stung. A lot. I was crying as I did the same to the other side. I was sobbing as I faltered back, falling into the door. The door was open. I quickly closed it, not realizing I had left streaks of my blood on the other side. I was too disorientated to care. Then I sat on the edge of the tub, staring at my wrists. Soon the world went blurry and I tipped back, head hitting the tub.

The next thing I remember was waking up to bright fluorescent lights. I was in the hospital, Jackson sitting by my bedside, looking distraught. I watched him for a moment before letting out a sigh. Then he looked at me, eyes softening.

From there, I was shipped off to the Eichen House where I spent the next thirty days working on my issues. I knew that I would be sad again, that I would become temporarily depressed, but I just needed to work on focusing on the happy things. And things were already looking up.

* * *

**A/N: Hello there! Thank you to everyone who followed/favorited this story! I have a lot of ideas, so I hope you stick around. And I'd love to hear any feedback you may have! On that note, a big thank you to all those who reviewed: Red Constance, a. Paper. heaRt, CourtneyxWolf725, RHatch89, and therealjainsolo! I appreciate your reviews! xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

Jackson's Porsche pulled up to the front of the mechanic's shop. I sighed and shoved a hand through my hair. "This place is so gross." Jackson scrunched up his nose.

"Well, it's the only repair shop for miles." I sighed again as I looked to Jackson. "I'll meet you at home." I nodded at him before pushing out of the Porsche. I walked up to the front door, just as Matt came out. I stepped to the side as he stared at me.

"Diana." He gave me an easy smile, "Hey."

"Hi." I curtly said.

"Uh, when did you get back?" Matt asked.

"I don't really want to talk to you, Matt." I said, lifting my chin slightly, "Being this close to you is freaking me out." Matt stared at me. Then he quickly raised his eyebrows, laughing slightly.

"Ah, okay." I stared at him, "See you around, Diana."

"Only in your dreams." I chirped as he walked by me.

"Exactly." He winked at me. I felt the urge to throw up. I put my hand over my face and shook my head, walking inside. The place was empty. I sighed, sitting down on one of the plastic chairs. I picked at my fingernails, which I had repainted. Then the door chimed.

"Oh, hey." I heard Stiles say. I looked up, giving him a tight smile.

"Stiles." I nodded at him, "What are you doing here?" I asked. Stiles scratched the back of his neck.

"My Jeep needs a new starter." Stiles explained. Then he flung his hand out towards me, "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up Walter." I said, crossing my legs. Stiles nodded, then shook his head.

"Walter?" He asked, rocking forward as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"My car." I said, looking at him.

"Oh, right." Stiles shook his head, "Duh." I laughed and shook my head at his antics. I went back to picking at my nails, peeling back the nail polish.

"So what's this I hear about Isaac Lahey being a fugitive?" I casually asked, glancing over to Stiles.

"What?" Stiles blanched. "What—are you talking about?"

"The paper said Isaac is a fugitive cause he killed his dad or something."

"He didn't kill his dad." Stiles instantly replied. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" I asked. I shifted my weight, leaning forward so my elbows were on my thighs. "Then why is he a fugitive?"

"Because they _think_ he killed his father."

"Ah." I lifted my chin slightly. Stiles swallowed and nodded at me. I made a face, sitting back in my seat. Stiles whipped his head towards the door that led to the shop part, taking a couple of steps forward as he looked through the window.

"What is he doing?" Stiles murmured, "It shouldn't take this long." I stood up and walked over to stand next to Stiles, crossing my arms over my chest. Stiles glanced at me, then did a double take at how close I was standing to him.

"Don't get a boner just cause I'm mere centimeters away from you, Stilinski." I mumbled, letting my fingers brush against his sweat jacket. Stiles shivered. I grinned to myself, not looking at him.

"I'm gonna go find out what's taking him so long." Stiles said, moving to grab the door handle and going into the shop. I watched him stomp over to the guy who was working on his Jeep. I peered inside to see Walter on a levy, looking fine as hell. I smiled to myself. I stepped back, looking at the pictures on the wall. The mechanic was on the lacrosse team. Ironic. I looked to see his trophies were on a shelf by the pictures. I rolled my eyes, didn't the guy have an apartment or something where he could keep his trophies. I leaned in to look at one from the swim champs in 2006. Impressive.

"Really quality establishment you're running here!" Stiles yelled out as he walked back through the door. I raised my eyebrow at him as he wiped his hand on his pant leg.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"There was some slime or boogers or something on the door handle." Stiles walked over to me. I gagged.

"That's disgusting."

"And we're letting him fix our cars." Stiles sighed out as he dug into his pocket for his phone. I watched him pull it out, going to text someone. Then his hands started shaking, he glanced at me, brow furrowed. It looked like he was trying to force himself to move his fingers. The phone clattered from his hands.

"Stiles?" I asked, worried as he looked up through the windows that let us see into the shop area. I followed his line of vision to see a clawed hand coming out of Stiles' Jeep.

"Hey!" He hoarsely called out. He took in a breath. "Hey!" Stiles called out again. The clawed hand reached down and sliced a claw across the mechanic's neck. Then I heard a thump as Stiles' knees went out.

"Stiles?" I dropped down next to him as he tried to crawl to the door. It wasn't working very well.

"Diana, go get help." He managed out. I looked up at the sound of the levy lowering. The mechanic was on the ground as Stiles' Jeep was lowered.

"Why isn't he moving?" I asked, as the guy called out for help. I went to go help him, but then I heard a hissing. I looked to see a lizard like thing circling on Stiles' Jeep, watching the guy on the ground. Then it crawled down, disappearing from sight.

"Stiles, call nine-one-one!" I cried out. I looked down at him to see him visibly sweating as he forced his fingers to move.

"I'm trying." He managed out. I took in a heaving breath and looked towards the mechanic, where the levy was getting closer and closer to crushing him. I glanced down to see Stiles squeeze his eyes shut. I snatched Stiles' phone from his reach and quickly pressed the call button. The levy was lowering even more. I watched in horror as it crushed down on the man. I let out a gasp, the phone dropping from my hand and clattering to the ground as blood splattered the walls of the shop. Then a lizard like thing appear right in front of us. I screamed, scrambling back from Stiles. It stared at us, tilting its head before scuttling off.

_"Nine one one, what's your emergency?" _The woman on the phone said. She repeated herself, snapping me out of my daze. I scrambled, picking up the phone and placing it to my ear.

"Yes, hi, I—I need the police." I said. I explained what happened to the mechanic and the woman told me dispatch was on their way with an ambulance. I hung up the phone and slid it back to Stiles, who was wildly looking around.

"He's dead." I softly said.

Stiles didn't say anything, just continued to hyperventilate as he stared into the shop. I pulled at his sweat jacket, rolling him onto his back. I loomed over him, hair curtaining around my face.

"Can you feel anything?" I asked.

"I can move my toes." Stiles mumbled out. I licked my lips and looked around. Then I crawled behind him, pushing his shoulders up. I grunted as I tried to push him into a sitting position.

"Oh my God, I never though a hundred and fifty pounds of pale skin would be so heavy."

"Actually a hundred and forty seven." Stiles corrected me. I rolled my eyes as I struggled to push him up so he was sitting. I finally did it though, after about three minutes. I sighed and sat so my back was against his, propping him up.

"Just be glad you didn't have a boner when you were paralyzed." I joked.

"Hey, Diana." Stiles started, "Don't, uh, don't say anything about what you saw."

"You mean the lizard thing hissing at me?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at him.

"Yeah. Yeah, don't say anything about it."

"I just got out of the nut house, if I said anything like that, they wouldn't believe me anyway." I felt Stiles' neck turn.

"You're not crazy though." Stiles softly said.

"Thanks." I rested my head back against his. Then I realized his neck turned. "Hey! You moved your neck!" I said, turning myself around so I was looking at him. Stiles managed to look over his shoulder, a small smile on his face.

"If I move can you stay up?" I asked.

"I don't know." Stiles said. I carefully moved my hands back and he instantly fell back.

"Guess not." I laughed as he fell into my hands.

"Why are you not freaking out about this?" Stiles asked. I looked over my shoulder to see the blood from the crushed mechanics body.

"My roommate jumped off a stairwell before I left." I softly said, "Saw it happen, had to walk by her body." I sighed, looking back down at Stiles, "The only thing that freaked me out was that reptile thing."

"Yeah, well at least you aren't paralyzed." Stiles grumbled, swallowing. I laughed at his face.

Then I heard the sirens. I scrambled up to my feet and went over to the front door, watching as the police surrounded the scene. I looked back at Stiles, who was shaking his feet.

"I think I can move my feet." He said before flipping his body over. "Yup."

"Then get up." I said, hurrying over to him. I grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet. He swayed for a moment before shaking his head. The front door chimed open and in hurried the sheriff. I quickly let go of Stiles' hand as his dad came over to us.

"You kids alright?" He asked, concern written on his face.

"Yeah, just a little shaken up." Stiles made a face as he put his hands on his hips.

"What happened?" The sheriff asked. Stiles and I shared a look.

"I was coming in to pick up my car…" I started.

"And I needed my Jeep. So we got here and then all we saw was the Jeep on top of the guy." Stiles explained, motioning to the shop. The sheriff eyed us for a moment before nodding.

"There's a medic outside, come on." The sheriff walked in between us, leading us outside. It was pouring. I grumbled to myself as I walked over to the ambulance, getting soaked with each step. The medic checked me out first, making sure I was okay. I kept my eyes on Stiles, who was massaging his hand. I felt my brow furrow as the medic cleared me, moving onto Stiles.

"What's up with your hand?" I asked, once the medic left us.

"It's still numb." Stiles shook it out as he moved closer to me. I shivered in the rain. I hadn't brought a coat and my flannel was sticking to my body. Stiles noticed and stripped off his sweat jacket, wrapping it around my shoulders.

"Not much, but hey, what are Bio partners for, right?" Stiles asked. I felt my teeth chatter.

"I can't believe you're not flubbing up or stuttering." I managed out.

"We just witnessed a murder together, we're like bound for life." Stiles said, straightening up. He continued to rub at his hand. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. The sheriff made his way over to us, rain bouncing off of his jacket as he stood in front of us.

"So what really happened in there?" The sheriff asked

"I told you, we just walked in and saw the Jeep on top of the guy, that's all." Stiles shrugged. The sheriff noticed that Stiles kept shaking out his hand, trying to get feeling back into it.

"What's wrong with your hand?" The sheriff asked.

"Nothing." Stiles sighed, shoving it into his jeans' pockets. "Can we just get out of here now?" He asked, looking up at his dad. His dad looked from him to me and then sighed.

"Look, if there's something you two don't think you can tell me—"

"You think I am lying?" Stiles cut off his dad.

"No, of course not. I' m just worried about you. Now, if you saw someone do this, if you are afraid maybe they will come back and make sure you don't say anything about it…"

"I didn't see anything. Neither of us did." Stiles motioned his head to me. I gave a small smile, "At all. Now, can we go please?"

"Sure." Mr. Stilinski nodded, "But not in the Jeep. Gonna have to impound it." Stiles gaped. The sheriff turned to me, "Along with your car."

"What?" I blurted out. Then I let out a whine, slumping down.

"Sorry kids, evidence." Mr. Stilinski patted Stiles' shoulder and walked away from us back towards the scene.

"All right, well, at least make sure they wash it!" Stiles called out after his dad. I groaned again.

"They better wash it." Stiles grumbled, looking back at me.

"I just lied to the police." I whispered out, staring straight ahead.

"Uh, no, you didn't."

"Yes, yes I did. I lied to the police. And you made me!" I gasped out, looking to Stiles.

"_What_?!" Stiles shouted, flailing about. I straightened up, pointing at him.

"You told me to lie to the police. You told me not to say what we saw." I gaped at him, "I'm guilty by association."

"Okay, no." Stiles pointed back at me, "You said yourself that you wouldn't say anything because they would think you were crazy."

"I didn't mean not to the police!" I cried out, "I meant to like Jackson or Lydia or Danny! Not the law enforcement!"

"Could you stop yelling for about five seconds?" Stiles hissed out, looking around himself. "Okay? I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to lie, but trust me, it's for the best."

"I could've been killed by that _thing_." I snapped back in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah, same." Stiles shot back. I stared at him, eyes narrowed.

"Give me your phone." I demanded, holding out my hand.

"Why?"

"So I can call my brother to come pick me up." I said, motioning with my hand for him to give it to me. Stiles stared at me for a moment before digging into his pocket.

"Where's your phone?" He asked.

"In my bag, which is with Jackson." I said. Stiles made a face.

"Of course." He slapped his phone into my hand, "Have at it."

"I will." I said, making my eyes wide and moving my head a bit. I unlocked the phone and quickly dialed Jackson's number as Stiles hopped off the edge of the ambulance, walking away from me.

"_Hello?" _Jackson asked, voice groggy.

"Jackson? Can you come pick me up?" I asked into the phone.

"_Where are you?_" He asked.

"At the mechanics." I said as if he was stupid, "Can you come get me?"

"_Don't you have your car?"_

"Not at the moment." I glanced over as the body was being pulled out, it was just a red splat on an otherwise white sheet.

"Please Jackson?" I asked.

_"Yeah, yeah give me five minutes._" He grumbled before hanging up. I clicked off the call and looked around, looking for Stiles. Then I saw him in a car. I hurried over to him, knocking on the window. He jumped and Scott looked at me, eyes going wide. Stiles fumbled, rolling down the window.

"Yeah?" He asked, coughing once.

"Here." I handed the phone back. "Thanks."

"Do you need a ride?" Scott offered.

"No, Jackson's coming." I looked over my shoulder as the rain poured down around me.

"Well, at least sit in the car until he comes." Scott suggested. I gave him a small smile. "Come on, Diana, you're already soaked."

"Very true." I nodded, going to the back door and opening it. I slid on the backseat and tugged Stiles' sweat jacket closer to me as Scott blasted the heat.

"So what were you two talking about?" I asked. Scott turned around to look at me.

"What you saw back there." He prompted, "Just—please don't tell anyone."

"I already told Stiles that I wouldn't." I said, "But I don't know what _it _was."

"Neither do we." Scott quietly said.

"So what can I do to help?" I asked, leaning forward. The boys shared a look before looking back to me.

"You want to help." Stiles stated.

"Did you lose your hearing when you were paralyzed?" I asked, "Yes, I want to help."

"_You_."

"Stiles, I'm gonna hit you." I stared at him. Stiles licked his lips and looked to Scott. He shrugged.

"I mean, she could be a help." Scott shrugged again.

"A help?" I asked, leaning forward again, "I am _the _help." I said, a smirk on my face. Then I saw Jackson's Porsche pull up to the scene. "Later, losers." I said as I pushed out of the car.

I hurried over to the Porsche, slipping into the passenger seat. Jackson was peering at the mechanic's shop, brow furrowed.

"What?" I asked.

"I've been here before." Jackson said.

"Yeah, when you dropped me off." I stated, giving him a weird look. Jackson blinked and then shook his head.

"Right, yeah." I continued to stare at him.

"You good?" I asked. Jackson nodded.

"Just tired. Practice wore me out today." Jackson sighed out, shifting the Porsche. "Are you okay?"

"Yep." I nodded, "I've had my fill of dead bodies though." I sighed out, resting my head on the window.

"Who would crush someone with a Jeep?" Jackson asked. I looked at him. I didn't tell him that the Jeep crushed the guy. At least, I was pretty sure I didn't.

"Yeah…" I slowly said, not commenting on it. Jackson shook his head and sighed.

"Guess you're not getting your baby back for a while." Jackson huffed out. I groaned.

"Don't wanna talk about it." I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted as Jackson started for home.

The next morning, I walked out of my meeting with Morrell to see Lydia sitting primly on the chair, legs crossed. I watched her for a moment and it looked like she was almost talking to herself. I gave a cough, making her head turn to glare at me. I gave her a small smile and walked by her, heading out of the office and down the hall.

People had stopped whispering at me now as I walked down the hall in my sundress and flats, my ever present army green crop jacket with me. But instead of the whispers, I got uneasy looks. People were nervous around me, not like last year where they were in awe of me, but it was more of a sense of fear. I kept my chin up as I walked down the hall towards my class.

I headed to the short flight of stairs, seeing two bodies blocking one of the sides of the stairs. I rolled my eyes; people would never learn. I sighed and pressed my books to my chest as I walked towards the two bodies.

"I love you more than-"

"Boys." I cut Stiles off as I pushed my way through them.

"Oh, my God!" Stiles flailed about as I toed the boys apart in order to make space to walk down the stairs.

"You know there's another side of stairs, right?" Stiles asked, looking up at me.

"You know you're creating a fire hazard, right?" I shot back, staring down at him. I gave him a charming smile. Then I grabbed the top of his head with my head and forced it to look down, "With all that _I love you _talk you had with Scott, I'd figure you were gay. But yet, you were _just _looking up my skirt, so, uh, stop looking up my skirt." I said as I pushed off of him, stepping onto the ground. I turned around to look at the boys, grinning as Scott laughed and Stiles grimaced.

"I-I—I wasn't."

"Yes, you were." I nodded, "Do you like my cherry underwear?" I innocently asked, tilting my head to the side. Stiles rapidly blinked at me as I gave him another smile and spun on my toe, heading across the hall to my locker.

I opened it and started to shove my things into my locker, getting my books for class. I glanced down the hall to see Danny walking towards me. I waved, giving him a smile and beckoning him over.

"How am I the only one who doesn't know anything about this?" I heard Scott cry out. I looked over to see the boys still sitting on the steps. Stiles patted his shoulder and I could clearly hear what he was saying,

"It's okay. You're my friend. A creature of the night. It's kind of like a priority of mine…" I felt my brow furrow as I slowly closed my locker. Scott was a creature of the night? What the hell did that even mean?

"Hey!" Danny called out, getting my attention.

"Yo." I flashed a peace sign as he came up to me. Then I noticed he had Jackson's tablet in his hand. "Why do you have Jackson's tablet?" I asked, pointing at it. Danny glanced down before looking back up.

"Oh, he asked me to brighten a video on here." He said as if it were no big deal. I nodded to myself as I started to walk down the hall.

"What kind of video?" I asked, making a face.

"He just said it was him in bed."

"So he wants you to watch him masturbating?" I asked, swinging my head around to look at Danny.

"I hope to God not. I've told him about a hundred times that he's not my type." Danny glanced at me. I gave him a pitying smile, laying a hand on his arm.

"Oh, Danny, but the Whittemores are everyone's type." I grinned at him as he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Diana, I've missed you so." Danny let his head tip back.

"I know." I chirped out. "Hey, listen, so this is gonna sound weird and all, but I overheard Stiles and Scott talking about Scott being a _creature of the night_." I made my voice deeper as I glanced to Danny, "Do you think Scott might be like a…you know." I motioned with my hand. Danny furrowed his brow at me. I sighed, smacking his shoulder, "Come on, Danny, you know what I'm talking about."

"What like a werewolf?" Danny asked.

"Not _like _a werewolf." I rolled forward, "_A_ werewolf." Danny stared at me for a moment as we walked past the library.

"I actually have to go try and edit this video." He said, pausing in front of the doors. I paused, biting my lower lip.

"Yeah, totally." I waved my hand in the air, "Sorry about being weird."

"Yeah, but it's Beacon Hills." Danny shrugged. I nodded at him.

"True." I paused for a second, "Let me know what you find." Danny nodded as he pulled the door open, slipping inside of the library. I continued down the hall, walking to my class. I felt someone slam into my shoulder as I walked down the hall. "Sorry!" I heard Stiles yelp. We had collided, my books spilling from arms.

"Dammit, Stiles!" I shouted, stomping my foot.

"I said I was sorry!" Stiles called as he ran down the hall.

I shook my head and crouched down, starting to pick up the papers that had been strewn around me thanks to Stiles. I saw Stiles' sneaker clad feet run past me again, narrowly avoiding me. I sighed as I gathered up the papers in my arms, standing up. I felt someone slam into me again, knocking my things back to the ground.

"Oh. My. God." I said, rolling my head back as Stiles ran past me again, "I'm literally going to kill you!" I shouted after him.

"I say that on the daily." I heard a voice say from behind me. I spun around. Matt was standing there, a side grin on his face. I swallowed and took a step back.

"Yeah, I bet." I said, lifting my chin slightly. I slowly crouched down to start to pick up my books and things. Matt dropped down as well, reaching for my Calculus book.

"Don't." I snapped out. He glanced at me, "I don't need your help." He made an exaggerated motion as he moved back and stood up straight. I grabbed my Calculus book and stood up so I was face to face with him.

"Thought only juniors took Calculus." Matt said.

"Thought only old men were stalkers." I fired back. Matt gave me a look.

"So now I'm a stalker?"

"Well, you basically climbed a tree to get a picture of me working on homework."

"One time." Matt sighed out, shaking his head.

"One time too many." I added, pushing by him, heading down the hall. I went around the corner and leaned my head against the wall, taking in a deep breath. I shook out my hand and blinked a couple times, trying to calm myself as Stiles walked past me at a leisurely pace.

"Stiles!" I called after him, making him freeze, "Stiles, you get back here and apologize for running me over, twice!" Stiles rolled his head back before spinning around and walking back up to me.

"Sorry."

"For?"

"Running you over." I lifted an eyebrow, Stiles rolled his eyes, "Twice."

"Thank you." I gave him a smile, "So why were you running like someone was burning down the school?"

"Because." Stiles shrugged.

"Just cause?" I asked, shrugging back, "Needed your daily exercise?"

"Yep." Stiles bobbed his head. I gave him a look. Stiles made a face and shrugged again, "Well, see ya." He went to turn around and walk away, but I called after him again,

"Yo, wait!" He turned to look at me, "Did you ever figure out anything about what happened last night?" I lowered my voice to a whisper. Stiles looked around himself.

"No." He sighed, gripping his backpack straps. "But we have a plan."

"Oh, do we?" I asked, raising a brow. "Did we make this plan via ESP because you know I'm still trying to master that." I pouted. Stiles squinted at me, not sure how to respond.

"You—You weren't—involved." Stiles finally said.

"I thought you said I could help!" I cried out, smacking his arm. Stiles yelped, flinching a bit.

"Yeah, but not with this." He hissed out, leaning closer to me.

"_Why_?" I asked.

"Sorry, Diana, but you're not Catwoman." Stiles said. I gave him a blank look. Stiles stared at me, gauging my reaction, "Catwoman…Do—do you have any idea who I'm talking about?"

"No…" I trailed off, swinging my hips to the side, "But she sounds like mutant of some sort. Like half cat, half woman." I waved my hand in the air. Stiles gaped at me, blinking furiously.

"So? Why can't I help with this?" I asked, moving a bit so Stiles focused on me.

"You don't know who Catwoman is." He whispered.

"Yeah, we covered this." I motioned with my hand, "Let's stick to the issue at hand. How can I help?" Stiles blinked again before shaking his head.

"Just don't do anything. Go to the game tonight like usual and just be normal."

"Like anyone is normal in Beacon Hills." I rolled my eyes. Stiles paled.

"Yeah." He coughed, taking a step back from me. "Bye, Diana." He gave a little wave before spinning around and walking away from me.

I pushed off the wall and started down the hall towards my study hall. It was in the computer lab, which was perfect, because I needed to do some research.

Beacon Hills was a strange town. The biggest thing we were known for was the fire of the Hale house that killed an entire family, leaving three survivors. I had heard that the police had determined the fire to be arson, set by a woman named Kate Argent. I knew that it was Allison's aunt, which struck me as odd since in the short time I knew Allison, she was the kindest person.

I settled into a seat in front of the computer screen, placing my bag on the chair next to me. I woke up the computer, logging on and pulling up a Google search bar. I quickly typed in the town name, loading up the articles on all the unsolved murders and attacks. I went to the archives, going to the last month, trying to figure out everything I had missed.

Kate Argent was found dead in the remains of the Hale house, the pendant on her neck matching the description of the woman who an unnamed source said started the fire. I read how her neck was slashed, claw marks ripping into her skin and killing her. Claw marks. Like an animal attack. But it was too precise to be a mountain lion attack.

I clicked a new tab, searching the animal attacks in Beacon Hills in the past month, pulling up article after article about how a so called 'mountain lion' killed a bus driver and a bunch of other people. I searched the victims, just coming up with articles on their death and simple past life. But there was data point that could connect all the murders together.

Peering around myself, I saw everyone else involved in something else on their computers. I reached into my bag and pulled out a thumb drive, sticking it into the computer. I had gotten it from Danny a few months back. It had a bug on it that let me access the reports and filings of the Beacon Hills County Police Station. I kept it just in case I ever got arrested and needed to erase my file. But now I was trying to find the profiles of the victims.

"They all had something to do with the Hale fire." I whispered to myself, eyes scanning over the reports. The victims were all connected with the Hale fire. I sat back in my chair, chewing on my thumbnail before leaning forward again.

I backspaced, going to a new search and pulling up the articles on the Hale survivors. There was Derek, Laura, and Peter. Laura was dead; found in the woods, cut in half. I felt my brow furrow as I went to look up Derek. He seemed to be alive still, there was a police report on him though; the police thought he murdered Laura because half of her body was found on his property. I clicked on the coroner's report for Laura's body. Wolf hairs were found on her body. A wolf killed Laura.

The bell rang, making me jump. I quickly closed all my programs, safely ejecting the USB and stuffing it in my bag. I got to my feet and hurried out into the hall, meeting up with Danny as he came out of the library. I stopped though when I saw he was talking to Matt. They were looking over the tablet and then Danny handed it to him. Matt patted Danny's shoulder and walked away from Danny. I hurried up to him, grabbing his elbow and forcing him to walk with me.

"What the hell was that?" I hissed out.

"What?" Danny asked, confused.

"You working with the stalker." I whispered.

"Jackson recorded himself with Matt's camera." Danny looked at me. I felt my brow furrow. "So I was asking him some questions about the resolution and such." I stared at him for a moment.

"He's still weird." I dismissively said.

"Are you coming to the game?" Danny asked, surging a topic change. I nodded.

"Gonna make a sign and everything." I grinned at him.

"Do you even remember our mascot?" Danny asked, looking at me.

"The cyclones." I said, in a _duh _voice. "Otherwise known as an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as Earth." I rattled off. "So basically your team just spins around a lot."

"And scores a bunch of goals." Danny pointed out, nudging me. I laughed.

"Still goalie?" I asked. Danny shook his head.

"Nah, Coach is playing me tonight because we're up against the _Abomination."_ Danny made his voice lower. I raised my eyebrows.

"Didn't he give Jackson a concussion last year?" I asked. Danny nodded. I laughed, "Oh ho this is gonna be a great game."

"Hey." Danny stopped walking, moving in front of me, "I never got a chance to ask you how you're holding up." He seriously looked at me, eyes flicking over my face.

"Fine." I hiked my bag up on my shoulder, averting my gaze."

"Last night…Jackson told me about the mechanic's."

"Yeah, it wasn't a pretty sight." I scratched my temple, "But I'm okay."

"Did you see who did it?" Danny asked. I looked around the emptying hall before looking at him again. I grabbed his hand and quickly led him to the auditorium, and leading Danny to my hiding spot. He looked around himself, impressed as I stood in front of him.

"I saw _something_ last night." I whispered out, twisting my fingers together. Danny's attention returned to me, "It was like a lizard thing with claws and its eyes were almost reptilian. It did something to the mechanic, like—like it paralyzed it." I blinked rapidly, "And then the levy started lowering and—and then—" I felt a sob bubble up. I covered my mouth with my hand. Danny instantly wrapped his arms around me, letting me cry into his chest.

After a moment of self-pity, I pushed back, wiping my eyes with my hand, "Danny, I saw the lizard thing. It looked at me…and I swear to God it looked like it knew me." I whispered out.

"How is that even possible?" Danny asked, brow furrowing.

"I don't know." I paused, rolling my lips in, "Danny, you need to tell me everything that happened while I was gone. Is Scott McCall a werewolf?" I asked, voice hushed. Danny looked up from me for a moment before glancing back down.

"Not here. I'll take you home and we can talk there, okay?" Danny asked. I nodded as he stepped back, going down the ladder. I casted a glance around the room before following after him.

"Wait, but what about the game?" I asked, hurrying after Danny, "Don't you have to be in school in order to play the game?" I asked, coming up to Danny. Danny glanced at me.

"Do you really think Coach cares?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. I made a face before nodding.

"True enough." I hiked up my bag and let Danny lead me to his Prius. I sent a quick text to Jackson, telling him that Danny was taking me home because I wasn't feeling well. He responded with a curt 'feel better.'

Instead of going home, Danny took me to the small café, sitting me down by the window and going to get our drinks. He came back with a cup of tea for me and a coffee for himself. I wrapped my hands around the mug and planted my elbows on the table, leaning forward. Danny looked around himself to see men in suits on their phones or college kids on their laptops.

"So?" I asked, cocking a brow.

"I think so." Danny nodded, looking back at me.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"The two of them don't really know how to whisper." Danny said in a hushed tone. I laughed.

"Oh, I know." I made a face as I sipped my tea.

"They were talking about it after you left. Scott was bitten or something."

"Anything else?"

"They don't really trust this guy named Derek Hale."

"From the Hale fire?" I asked, brow furrowing.

"Yeah." Danny nodded, "And I think Isaac Lahey is one too along with Erica Reyes." I sat back in my seat, giving a soft laugh.

"That's why she looks so different." I shook my head, "_Lydia giving her some makeup tips_ my ass." I mumbled.

"That's all I know." Danny shrugged.

"Does Jackson know?" I asked, picking at the handle of my mug.

"I think so." Danny nodded, "There were these two claw marks on the back of his neck."

"From what?"

"He didn't say." Danny sipped his coffee. I grabbed one of the napkins and dug into my bag for a pen.

"So Scott, Erica and Isaac are all werewolves." I mumbled as I wrote it down, "I was looking about Kate Argent and the Hale fire. _Argent _means silver in French, right?" Danny nodded, "So maybe they are werewolf hunters. Like remember when we were little and everyone thought there was something odd about the Hales?" I paused, tapping my pen on the table, "Maybe they were werewolves." Danny raised his eyebrows.

"Could be."

"So what? Allison's family hunts werewolves for a living? Specifically the Hale family?"

"It wouldn't surprise me." I sighed and sat back in my seat.

"Okay, how do you know all this?" I asked again, leaning forward.

"Diana…it's Beacon Hills." Danny gave me a look as if I were stupid. I chewed on my pen for a moment before setting it down.

"I don't want to get involved with this." I pressed my hands flat on the table and shook my head, "I just got out of Eichen House and I just want a normal…stable life." I glanced up at Danny.

"So don't get involved." Danny shrugged as if it were that simple.

"But that thing that I saw last night…" I started.

"Just—forget about it." Danny shrugged again, "You said yourself you didn't want to get involved."

"But what was it?" I asked, leaning forward.

"I don't know." Danny shook his head, "Seriously, Princess Di, just forget about it. Normal, stable life, remember?" I blew out a breath before sliding my hand over the napkin, crumpling it up.

"Yeah." I whispered, blinking. Danny gave me a look like he knew I wasn't going to forget about it. And he was right. But I made a face instead.

"So tonight's game." I prompted, getting Danny to laugh a bit before launching into how nervous he was for the game because of the team.

After spending another hour with Danny talking about the game, he drove me home. I did my homework, getting it done and out of the way so that I could go to the game later. I finished my Calculus homework in an hour, made a study sheet for our Econ midterm that was coming up along with one for Chemistry.

I stared at my laptop screen, the cursor blinking on a Google search bar. I screwed my mouth to the side before sitting up a bit straighter and typing in 'lizard monster.' I knew it wasn't very descriptive, but I wanted to try and find some possibility. It definitely had a tail, claws, and reptilian eyes. I scrolled through the Godzilla theories. I clicked on a promising link, well one that didn't have mention of Godzilla, and it took me to a page with a bunch of names I couldn't pronounce. I groaned as I heard the front door open. I quickly closed the window as Jackson yelled for me.

"Upstairs!" I called back. I heard Jackson's footsteps on the stairs and a minute later, he was bracing himself on the doorframe.

"I'm gonna leave for the game at like six thirty, so you have two hours to get ready." Jackson said before pausing, "Unless you're still not feeling well."

"I'm feeling better. I was just a little shaken up from what happened last night." I gave him a small smile. Jackson eyed me for a moment before nodding.

"Okay." He knocked on the doorframe with his knuckle, "I'll be in my room if you need anything." I nodded as he pushed off the doorframe. Moments later, I heard his bedroom door shut. I messed around on the computer a little bit longer, not really getting anywhere and ended up stopping around five, choosing to make a sign for the game to show some form of school spirit. I placed the poster by my door so I wouldn't forget it before I pushed out of my chair and tied my hair up in a bun before going over to my closet, grabbing my towel. I stripped and wrapped the towel around myself, padding to the bathroom.

I got a long shower, washing my hair at a leisurely pace and scrubbing every inch of my body. Once I was finished, I padded back to my room, wrapping myself in a bathrobe before going back to the bathroom and blowing my hair dry. I dressed in a pair of jeans and a crop top, braiding my hair to the side and shrugging into my jacket just as Jackson passed my room. He had his gear in his hands and indicated for me to follow him. I grabbed my sign and followed him to the Porsche.

The bleachers were filling with people as Jackson and I walked to the field. I saw Allison sitting with an older man, who I was pretty sure was the principal even though I had never met him. I sat down towards the front of the bleachers, not knowing if Allison and I were close enough to be sitting together.

The game was horrible. The Abomination was on point tonight, smacking down each of our offense men with a simply body check. I cringed as Danny went down hard. The crowd booed as Coach hollered at the opposing team. Players were taken off the field, groaning in pain. I feebly shook my sign as Jackson looked towards me. He rolled his head back and I knew he was pissed. This was semi-finals for goodness sakes, we needed to win.

"Come on Beacon Hills!" I yelled as Coach talked to Danny on the bench. He patted Danny on the shoulder before sending him back on the field. I tapped my foot on the bleacher as someone yelled that Beacon Hills was still short two players. Coach whirled around, upset as he scanned the crowd, then he pointed to me.

"Ms. Whittemore! You gotta be just as good as your brother, right?" He shouted at me. I felt my brow furrow as my mouth opened slightly.

"Uh, I—I don't—"

"Get down here, Whittemore! You play, you get an A in Econ!" He bargained. I didn't know what to say and then Coach was stomping up to me.

"You just need to stand there." Coach pleaded with me. He grabbed my elbow, yanking me to my feet.

"Can you even have a girl?" I asked, dropping my sign.

"I can do whatever I want!" Coach laughed before pushing me forward, "Go get pads and stuff on." I stumbled slightly, about to argue, but Coach had moved on. I stared at the field, swallowing as one of the players came over to me.

"Hey, Diana." It was Scott. I stared at him. "Coach is making you play?"

"Apparently…" I trailed off and looked at the field of players. "Isn't Stiles on the team?" I asked, looking back to Scott.

"Yeah, but…I have no idea where he is…" Scott trailed off, looking around himself, "Come on, I'll give you his stuff." Scott led me over to the bench with all the equipment. He helped me get dressed, putting on the pads and jersey before handing me the helmet.

"Just stand there, okay? I'll have your right and Jackson will have your left. You won't be touched."

"But what if I get the ball?" I asked, fixing my helmet.

"Then go for the goal." Scott handed me a stick. I gripped it in Stiles' gloves, staring at Scott before nodding once.

"What the hell is this?" Jackson came running up to us.

"Coach needs another player and practically _forced me_ to play." I droned out. Jackson looked pissed, his glance flicking to Coach then back to me.

"Just stay by the edge of the field. And try not to get hit." He grumbled. I nodded and adjusted my grip.

"Right, got it." Jackson fell back on his foot and turned around, going back on the field. I followed after him, taking stance on the field. I blew out a breath and lowered myself into a crouch. The whistle blew and the game started up again.

The Abomination came right for me. I felt my eyes widen as I scuttled back, dragging my feet on the ground as I stared at him. And then one of the players, who I had never seen before, came out of nowhere and slammed the Abomination to the ground. I paused, taking in a heaving breath, as the crowd went wild. The player took off his helmet and fist pumped the air, grinning widely as I ran past him. I turned and jogged back, watching his eyes flash a bright gold hue.

"What the hell?" I whispered out. I looked to see Scott standing next to me, face paling as Jackson ran up to us. The two of them shared a look before looking back to the kid. I saw Danny standing on the edge of the field. I hurried over to him.

"Look." I pointed to the kid, who's eyes were still glowing. "That's gotta be supernatural, right?"

"Scott's eyes were that color in the first game."

"So he's a werewolf." I stated, looking at Danny. Danny blinked hard before nodding. I took in a sharp breath and hurried off the field, stripping off the gloves and helmet.

"Whittemore! What are you doing?" Coach screamed at me.

"I'm done! I'm not—I'm not even on the team! "

"Doesn't matter! We still need you!"

"Put in someone else!" I cried out, taking quick steps back from him. Coach watched me as I yanked the pads off of me as I went, letting them drop to the ground.

And then I heard the unmistakable sound of bone breaking. I whirled around to see Scott on the ground, the entire field had fallen silent as Scott wrenched in pain. Then people started surging onto the field as the Abomination backed up from Scott. I took another step away from the field, pulling off the shoulder pads, before heading towards the parking lot.

I kept my head down as I walked to Jackson's Porsche. I was shaking. I couldn't stop shaking. The kid's eyes were _gold. _Boyd. His name was Boyd. He worked at the ice rink. Wasn't popular, ate alone. And now he was a werewolf. I knew that much. How many kids were werewolves in this town? It was like there was a pack of them. All teenagers who used be losers. Scott. Boyd. Erica. Isaac.

"Diana!" I heard someone call out. I turned to see Isaac jogging towards me. I scuttled back, eyes going wide. Danny told me he was a werewolf. He could kill me.

"Hey, Diana!" Isaac gave me an easy smile as he got closer.

"Isaac, don't." I tried to control the shake in my voice. Isaac's eyebrows knit together.

"What's wrong?" He asked, stepping towards me. I took a step back, heart pounding.

"No—Nothing's wrong. I—I just…You need to not come near me."

"I just want to ask you something." Isaac answered, still walking towards me.

"You can ask me from there." I steadily said. Isaac paused, giving a slight chuckle.

"Okay. Okay." Isaac lifted his hands in his defense. He paused for a moment before looking at me, hands lowering, "What did you see at the mechanic's the other night?" Isaac asked. I felt my stomach drop.

"I saw a piece of crap Jeep on top of a man." I lifted my chin slightly. Isaac gave another chuckle.

"You know I can tell when you're lying?" Isaac asked. He took two quick steps closer to me and placed his hand on the side of my face. I set my jaw as I stared at him. I was about to snap back at him, but decided on a different tactic.

"What happened, Isaac?" I whispered, voice soft, "This isn't the Isaac I know. The quiet, shy boy, who was my neighbor."

"Don't act like you care, Diana." Isaac snapped out, "Not once did you ask me if anything was wrong. Not once did you ask if you could help. No, you just stood by and watched. You were too worried about your social status than about what was happening right across the street from you!" Isaac shouted that last part, making me flinch.

"What are you gonna do to me?" I asked, voice small.

"Just tell me what you know." Isaac growled out. "Tell me what you saw!" I flinched again before wrenching out of his grasp, turning and sprinting away from him. I ran into the school, trying to get away from Isaac. I glanced over my shoulder to see the hall behind me empty and when I turned there was no one in front of me. I ran around the corner and pressed myself back against the wall, chest heaving and falling. I let out a frustrated noise and angrily kicked off the cleats I was wearing. I put my hand over my eyes and groaned.

"So much for not being involved." I muttered out.

I heard a screeching noise echo through the hall. I felt my breath catch and turned towards the sound, pushing off the wall. I heard it again and took a few steps backwards. I turned and I ran. I had no idea where the noise was coming from because of the echo, but I sure as hell wasn't going back outside. I sprinted down the hall, slamming into the double doors of the pool area. I could cut across the deck and the locker room, getting to the other side of the parking lot.

I hurried onto the pool deck, socked feet instantly becoming soaked as I stepped in a puddle. I groaned in annoyance. Then I heard a splash. I glanced up to see Stiles diving into the pool. I looked around to see Erica in a lump by the wall. I heard the same screeching noise again and looked across the deck to see the lizard thing staring at me. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I took a step back.

"Diana!" I heard Stiles yell. My head whipped over to him to see him bobbing in the water, struggling to hold someone up.

"Diana, get out of here!" Stiles shouted, "Go get help!" I was frozen, I couldn't move as the lizard thing advanced towards me. I felt myself start to whimper as it scuttled up to me, standing on two legs. I pulled my head back as it stared at me. I let out a little strangled sob as my chest heaved.

It dragged a claw down the side of my face, making my eyes squeeze shut. My heart was frantically pounding. I could hear Stiles yelling at me to run. I felt its claw slice across the back of my neck. My eyes popped open as I gasped in pain. The lizard looked at me as I felt my entire body freeze up. As my knees went out, I couldn't take my eyes off the lizard because its eyes stared at me, filled with pity.

I didn't know how long it had been. A while. I couldn't move any part of my body. I could only watch as Stiles and the other guy struggled to stay afloat while the lizard circled the pool. At one point, it tried to touch the water, but retracted with a hiss. Stiles caught notice and realized the thing couldn't swim.

He was debating on calling Scott as I regained feeling in my legs. I watched as Stiles let go of the man and quickly swam over to the edge, grabbing his phone before the lizard could. The man wasn't coming back up for air and I realized that he must have been paralyzed by the lizard. I groaned to myself as Stiles tried to get ahold of Scott. It didn't work.

Two hours later, I heard Stiles start to struggle. He was gasping and shouting that he needed to hold onto something. I was getting feeling back in my arms. I could roll myself onto my back so I could stare at the ceiling. And then I heard a roar.

Even though I was upside down, I could see a wolfed out Scott crouched on the starting block, roaring at the lizard thing. A battle ensued, only ending when Scott picked up a piece of mirror and held it as a weapon. The lizard thing took sight of its reflection and scampered off, smashing through the ceiling window and disappearing from sight. All was quiet until I heard a squeak of sneakers. Stiles' face loomed above mine, face written with concern.

"Can you move anything?" Stiles asked. I stared at him before lifting up my arm towards him.

"It'd be nice to get a hand." I simply said. Stiles looked thrown for a moment before grasping my hand with his and pulling me to my feet. He was soaked and he glanced over me once.

"Why are you wearing my jersey?"

"Long story." I waved my hand in the air, "Why don't you tell me what just happened?" I asked, looking over his shoulder at Scott, who was back to looking like a human. He came over to us and shared a look with Stiles.

"I have my laptop outside." Scott said, glancing over to me, just as concerned as Stiles was, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I sighed, "At least I can cross off: _being paralyzed from the neck down_ off of my bucket list."

"Your neck is still bleeding." Stiles said, staring at the back of my neck.

"It's okay." I waved him off, stepping back, "I know how to deal with cuts." Stiles gave me a small smile, eyes darting down to my wrists before looking back up at my face.

"Let's go see what's on here." Scott said, holding up a flash drive. Stiles glanced at me before nodding and following Scott. I had no choice but to follow the boys. I was still a little nervous being around Scott, since he was a werewolf and all, but he had scared off that lizard thing, so there had to be something good in him.

I walked outside with the boys where Scott plugged in the flash drive into his laptop, loading up the PDF files. It looked like Latin of some sort. I squinted as Scott went through the pages.

"Is that even a language?" Stiles asked.

"It's a type of Latin." I murmured out. Stiles swung his head to look at me. I shrugged.

"Okay, well can you translate it?"

"Oh, yeah, piece of cake—are you _insane?_" I shot back. Stiles stared at me.

"Then how the hell are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?" Scott asked.

"It's called a kanima." The guy from the pool said, making us turn to look at him.

"You knew the whole time." Stiles shouted as the guy and Erica stepped up to us.

"Only when it was confused by its own reflection."

"It doesn't know what it is." Scott realized.

"Or who." The guy added on.

"What else do you know?" Stiles asked. I crossed my arms over my chest and glanced at Stiles.

"Stories and rumors." The guy answered.

"But it's like us?" Scott asked.

"I don't think it's a werewolf." I piped up, making Scott turn and pale.

"No, but it is a shape-shifter." The guy paused, "But it's not right. It's like a—"

"An abomination." Stiles finished for the guy. He nodded at Stiles, turning away. That snapped Scott back to attention.

"Derek?" The guy turned. His name must've been Derek, "We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents."

"You trust them." Derek stated.

"Nobody trusts anyone! That's the problem. While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there's something scarier, faster than any of us, and it's killing people and we don't know anything about it!" Scott rambled. Derek's jaw clicked.

"I know one thing, when I find it?" He started as he turned away, "I'm gonna kill it." He growled out, stomping off with Erica following after.

"Great. Awesome." Stiles said, rolling his head back. Scott turned to look at us, his gaze settling on me.

"That was Derek Hale, wasn't it?" I asked, watching Derek's retreating back.

"Yeah." Scott nervously said. I looked at him, giving him a small smile.

"Stiles, how are you getting home?" I asked, still looking at Scott.

"Uh, Scott's driving me…" Stiles trailed off.

"Perfect." I chirped out. I opened the side door and slipped inside. The boys stared at each other for a moment before Scott went around the driver's side and Stiles got in the passenger seat.

The ride to my house was quiet except for me giving Scott the occasional direction to turn. When we pulled up to my house, Jackson's Porsche was sitting in the drive. I moved over so I was sitting in the middle of the backseat.

"So you know about werewolves." Scott stated, hands clenching the wheel, almost nervously.

"Duh." I rolled my eyes, "It's Beacon Hills."

"And, well, what are you…"

"I'm not gonna go blurting out your secret, Scott. It would get me in more trouble than I already am. Derek Hale is a werewolf too, right?" Scott just gave me a slight nod. I paused, picking at my fingernails, "I told myself that I didn't want to get involved, but after tonight….we need to figure out what that thing is."

"The way it stood in front of you." Stiles started, "Before it paralyzed you, it was…different."

"It looked at me like it knew me." I whispered out, staring at my fingers, "It looked sorrowful. Almost like it regretted paralyzing me, but like it had to."

"Because it's in its nature." Stiles finished.

"But why didn't it kill me?" I asked, looking up at Stiles. Stiles shrugged and glanced at Scott.

"I guess that's what we have to figure out." He sighed. There was a lapse of silence before I nodded to myself.

"Okay, well I'll see you two tomorrow." I said, pushing out of the car, "Thanks for the ride home."

"Hey, Diana." Scott stopped me, "Nice job on the field tonight." He nodded at me. I gave him a small smile before looking down and realizing I still had Stiles' jersey. I tugged it over my head and tossed it in Stiles' face, sitting in just my tank and leggings.

"Night!" I chirped out as I pushed open the car door and getting out of the car. I hurried up the front steps and waved to Scott, letting him know it was okay for him to drive off. I pushed inside of the house to find it as quiet as usual. I spotted my purse on the steps and went over to it, grabbing my phone. I composed a new text to Danny:

_You're never gonna believe what just happened._

* * *

**_A/N: Thank you to all the new followers/favorites! And a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed: RHatch89, a. Paper. heaRt, Red Constance, c-bellz, the realjainasolo, and CourtneyxWolf725! Love you all! xx_**


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